lacote



(No Model.) '5 SheetS- Sheet 1.

. J. A. LAOGTE.

MACHINE FOR DEGORTIGATING CHINA GRASS, 850.- No. 524,829. Patented Aug. 21, 1894.

I FNT T WITNEssES: fiaaZ ZE ATTORNEY):

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

, 4 J. AqLAofiTn, MACHINE FOR DEGORTIOATING CHINA GRASS, &c. No. 524,829. Pate ted Aug. 21, 1894.

1mm:mrunmummll IHIIH IIINHIHIIINUIH lllll MA? Y 1r roRA/EKf.

m: mums PETERS coy. PHOTQLIYHO" WASHINGTON, 0.1;

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(Nu Model.) A

. J. A LAGOTE.

MACHINE FOR DEGOR'I'IQATING CHINA GRASS, Gas.

o. 524,829. Patented Au 21, 1894.

I NTOR m: NOR")! Hrrsns c0, worauma, WASHINGTON. n. c.

TPATENTI OFFICE.

JEAN ALEXANDRF LAooTE, or PARIS, FRANCE.

MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING CHINA-GRASS,- 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,829, dated August 21, 1894. v

i Application filed December 5,1893. Serial raieaszs. a. model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

. COTE, a citizen of the Republic of France, re-

siding at Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Decorticating China Grass or Ramie and Like Plants, of which the following is a specification; i

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in machines fordecortieating ramie and like plants.

The object of my invention is to provide a machineof this kind which produces a fine fiber, possessing the inherent resistance and.

tenacity of the plant, by which machine the leaves or stalks are decorticated throughout their entire length, without the use of chemicals and which machineworks very economically and decorticates the plants in the green state and without requiring a previous drying.

fiber, a pair of presser-rollers to which the fiber is conducted and presser-plates, of which one reciprocates readily in the direction of its length. p l

The invention also consists in the construc tion and combination of parts and details as will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.-

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of one endof my improved decorticating machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Figs. 4. and 5 are elevations of the two endplates and the gearing on the same. Figs. 6

and 6 are respectively detail side and end.

elevations of the cam-portion of the operating lever, and Fig.7 is a broken detail top-view showing-the corrugations or'ribs which are located ,ontthe inner faces of the movablev plates.

Similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The ramie stalks or leaves are treated in the machine in the following manner: First. The stalks or leaves are drawn into the machine by means of the plain surfaced feed-rollers A A, B B. V breaker G acts on the stalks passing between the same and the fixed table D,-by whichoperation the epidermis is broken and cut into small pieces without injuring the exterior fiber. Third. The ramie then passes between the beaters -E and F for the purpose of disengaging from the fiber the small pieces of epidermis produced by the preceding operation. Fourth. The ramie passes upon the movable rods G which serve to complete the separating of the pieces of epidermis fromthe fiber, so that said pieces do not drop down between the rollers H and H between which the ramiepassesafter leaving the rods G. Fifth. The ramie passes between two grooved plates I and I of whichone moves slowly to and fro transversely to its length, and the other has a rapid longitudinal reciprocating motion, and by which plates the fiber is converted into filament-s that can be subjected to aspinning process. The fibers are drawn downward by the rollers O and O.

The heat produced by the action of-the plates I and I on the ramie permits of dis- .pensin g entirely with the use of chemicals in treating the fiber as has been necessary heretofore. The above are the essential steps of the process and will now be described in detail with the several parts of the machine.

As stated the ramie stalks are arranged on the table J and their forward ends are inserted between the wooden feed-rollers A A, B B. While the stalks or leaves are being arranged on the table J, the roller A is not in contact with the roller A, so to avoid the stalks or leaves being drawn into the machine before they are properly placed and arranged. The roller A is raised by means of the lever K whereby, as will appear later on, some of the parts of the machine are reversed, so that stalks are not permitted to feed between rollers A A, and the operator is permitted to utilize the interval of rest to prepare fresh stalks on table J. After the stalks have been properly arranged on the Second. The rotary wooden" stalks which then pass in between the rollers B B, which are rotated at a uniform speed with the rollers A and A. After leaving the roll ers B B the stalks pass between the fixed table D and the rotating wooden breaker C and while thus passing over the table D the epidermis is broken into small pieces which are disengaged and separated from the exterior fiber by the rotating. beaters E and F. The rods G,-upon which the fibers now pass disengage the pieces of the epidermis or woody material still adhering to the fiber as the said rods agitate or strike the fibers morev or less while conveying it so that when the fiber arrives at the rubber covered rollers H H .it is entirely devoid of any particles of epidermis or woody substance.

If the apparatus works constantly in the same direction, that is to say, if the heaters E, F, the rods Grand the rollers H, H always rotate in the same direction, then, when the rear ends of the ramie or other stalks being treated, reach the beaters E, F, they are no longer held stretched between the rollers H, H, and the breaker O and table D, and the stalks would therefore wind around the said bcaters for the reason that the same do not act as a sufiicient grip for the stalks and an interruption in the constant working of. the

apparatus is thereby caused. It is in View of remedying this inconvenience, that I have devised thefollowing arrangement, by which I obtain the reversal in the movements of the heaters E, F, rods G and rollers H, H, at the moment when the rear ends of the stalks arrive at the boaters.

The. shaft, on which the wooden breaker O, which breaks and bruises the stalks on the tableD is mounted, receives its rotary motion from the main-driving or power shaft 1, by means of the cog-wheels 2 and. 17. On the opposite end of the shaftof the beater 0, two cog-wheels 3 3 are mounted loosely, and between them a sleeve L is fixed on the shaft and provided-with a spline. the sliding, circumferentially grooved clutchengage either one or the other by means of the lugs Z Z on said pulley which lugs enter notches in the sides of the wheels 3 3 so that either the wheel 3 or the wheel 3 can be rotated by said pulley.

As has been stated the lever K is raised when the stalks are to be arranged on the table J, in such a manner that their ends rest on the roller A, at which time the rear ends of the stalks previously fed into the machine arrive at the table D and breaker O and at which time the heaters E and F, the rods G and the rollers H H must be reversed. This change of direction is made the instant the leverK is raised, as said lever has a beveled arm M which passesinto the circumferential groove of the. pulley L and moves the latter in the direction of the length of the sleeve by acting onthe sides of the groove in such a rotated in the direction of the arrow.

On this sleeve manner that one cog-wheel 3 or 3 is disengaged from the pulley and the other engaged therewith.

Forward movement-The cog-wheel 2 rotates in the direction of its arrow Fig.2 and the pinion 17 engaged by the cog-wheel 2 his T e clutch pulley L is engaged with the cog-wheel 3 which is rotated and asit engages the cogwheel ion the shaft of the beater E, the latter is rotated in the direction of its arrow Fig. 2. The beater F is in turn rotated from the beater E by the engaged cog-wheels 4 and 5.

By means of the cog-wheel 6 engaging the cog-wheel 7 on the shaft N, the latter is ro-' tated in the direction of its arrow and from the shaft Nmotion is transmitted to the shaft N by the two chains n which are connected by the rodsG. By means of the cog-wheels 8 and 9 motion is transmitted to the roller H from which motion is transmitted by means of the cog-wheels 10 and 11 to the roller H which rollers are rotated in the directions indicated by the arrows-in Fig. 2. The beaters,

the rods G and the rollers H and H are operated in such amanner and direction as to move the ramie toward the rollers O and O by which the fibers are drawn downward.

Backward m0vement.-The lever K is raised and the curved arm M moves the pulley L in such a manner as to disengage it from the cog-wheel 3and engage it with the wheel 3 which is now rotated, the wheel 3 running idle, as it, as well as the wheel 3, is loose=on the beater shaft. The heaters are -now rotated inversely by the cog-wheel 3 which. engages the cog-wheel 12 on the shaft of the beater F, and the beater E is also rotated inversely by means of the cog-wheels 4 and 5. For the forward movement the beater F rotates the beater E and for the backward movement the beater E rotates the beater'F. The movements of the other parts take place in the manner described but. in inverse direction, the cog-wheel 6 on the shaft of the beater Fturningin the inverse direction. The beatersand the rods G moving in inverse direction do not have lesseffect on the ramie since the same is held between the plates 1 I, so that the action of the plates on the ramie is uniform.

So that the construction and operation of the machine will be fully understood I will now describe the several parts in detail:

First. On one end of the power shaft 1 the pinion 1 is mounted which engages the cogwheel 13 on the end of the shaft of the roller which is sometimes raised and sometimes-lowe'red, is rotated when lowered by friction from the roller A.

Second. The breaker C which serves to break the epidermis of the ramieas the same passes over the table D is operated as folends of the arms of the star-shaped end-plates on the same shaft being connected by the rods f. The shafts of the boaters are so arranged that the arms of the heaters cross and can bend the ramie passing between them. The rods G which serve, as previously stated, for disengaging the pieces of epidermis from the .fiber,are fastened at their ends to endless chains n-arranged adjacent to the side walls of the frame, which chains pass over suitable pulleys on the shafts N N carrying the cogwheels 7 and 8 previously mentioned. The

rollers H H, the driving-gear of which has been described, are. covered with rubber so as not to injure the fiber which is much more delicate than the stalks that pass through the parts in advance of the said rollers.

Fourth. The plates I I and the mechanism for operating the same: These two plates are made of bronzeand are grooved vertically and whereas theplate I is relatively stationary the plate I has avery rapid reciprocating motion in the direction of its length. If the said two plates would at all times remain in tween the plates is permitted to escape.

i thus operated it is connected by the rod Q,

having a bend at Q with the eccentric R, fixed on the vertical shaft 4, driven from the shaft S by means of the bevel cog-wheels r and S. The shaft Sp is rotated at high speed by means of the cog-wheel 1-8 which engages" the cog-wheel19 on the shaft T, which in turn is rotated by the cog-wheels 20 and 21 from v the shaft T and said shaft T is rotated by the shaft 1.

means of the cog-wheels 22 and 23 from the power shaft 1. It is apparent that the abovedescribed gearing. rotates the shaft S at a speed that is very much greater than that of The plate I as stated, from time to time moves from the plate I ,to permit the fiber to descend. The said plate I is connected with a transverse bar U attached at its ends to the bars V V mounted to slide on the guides 12 and 12'. These two bars are connected by a second transverse bar U, provided with a pin X that projects into an eccentric groove X in the disk X on the vertical shaft Y. The shaft Y carries the cogwheel 24, which is rotated from the shaft Z by means of the cog-wheels 25 and 26 the latter being fixed on the shaft Z. On the upper end of the shaft Z which is outside of the side-wall P of the machine frame the bevel cog-wheel 27 is fixed, which is engaged by the bevel cog-wheel 28 on the shaft of the roller A. When the roller A is lowered, that is,

when it is being rotated, its motion is transmitted to the shaft Y, and its disk X by means of the cog-wheels 26, 25 and 24. The

grooved disk actuates the pin X and by means of the transverse bar U and the bars V V, which move parallel to. the side-walls P P of the machine-frame, the'bar N and the plate I are moved to and from the plate I.

To permit of regulating the pressure that the plate I exerts on the plate I, the latter is not rigidly connected with the bar U, but is connectedby means. of a screw Z which permits of adjusting the relative positions of the 1 plates I and I. A cushionz of compressible material is placed between the screw and the plate I for the purpose of avoiding severe shocks being produced by the plates when r they come in contact under the action of the eccentric groove X on the pin X. The grooved rollers O O are also covered with rubber the same as the rollers H H. The roller 0 receives its motion by means of a chain which passes over a sprocket-wheel 31 on the shaft of the roller B. roller 0 to the roller 0' by means of the cogwheels 32 and'33 Fig. 2. t

In case green ramie stalks are to be treated, water is permitted to flow upon the plates I and I from a tank, the water collecting in a tank 41 from which it is again elevated to the trough 40.

To sum up, the action of the machine is as follows:--The stalks are fed into the machine, being held and moved along by the feed-rollers A A and B B, are crushed between the breaker O and plate D, are then beaten or scutched between the heaters E and F and delivered by the traveling rods G to the rubber covered rollers H H, which serve to draw the fibers along and feed them between the plates I I, the parts all moving in the directions indicated by the arrows.- After passing between the plates I I, the decorticated ramie or other stalks which are now reduced to fibers, are caught by the grooved feed-rollers O and O. The action of these rollers on the ramie is more powerful than the action of the rubber covered rollersH and H and as a matter of fact, it could be said that it is the rollers O and O which draw the ramie through the machine. When the rear ends. of the stalks pass from the feed-rollers D D, the

Motion is transmitted from the motion of the breaker O, boaters E and F and i clainr as newand desire to seeureb Letters j Patent p I v 1. In a machine for decorticatin'gramie like plants, the combination with a'rotary breaker,of a't'able located .below'the breaker,- over which table the plants under treatment pass and upon which they are Subjected to the action of the rotary break-er,reed-rollers for conducting the plants to the breake'nrm t'ary heaters for beating the plants after they have passed the breaker a set of movable rods upon which the plants pass after leaving the heaters which rods areilo'c'ated' belowthe heaters; 21 pair of yielding pressenrollers to which the plants are conducted and twove'r tic'al plates arrangedb'elow the rollers and? having their lengths parallel with the axes of; the rollers; one of saidplates beingrn-ou' n ted to reciprocate in thedirection of its length, substantially as set forth.

2; In a machine for dec'orticating ramie'and like plants, the combination with feed-roll ers, of a rotating breaker beyond the feed rollers,- a" table below the breaker over which table the plants pass, t wo' rotating" heaters adjacent to the table, each beater being formed of star-shaped end-plates united by rods, two endless chain's mounted below the heaters and pulleys over which said chains pass, rods uniting the endless chain's; rollers below the chains and rods,- a set of pressing plates below the rollers, which pressing pl'ates have their-lengths parallel with theax'es of the;

rollers and means for rec'iprocatin'g'ione or said plates in the direction of its length,sub-' s'tantia'lly as set forth. l

3'; Ina machinefor d'ecorticating rani-i'e and like-plants; the combination with means'for breaking the epidermis of the plants, means for detaching the broken epidermis from the fiber, two parallel plates between which the fiber is conducted afterthe epidermis has been removed,:said plates bein g arranged par: al'lel with the axes'of the rollers means for reciprocating one of said plates in its longi tudinald irection and means for moving the other plate slowly toward and from the lon-' gi-t'udinally' reciprocating plate transversely to the length-of the'pl'ate, substantially as set at.v In a-machine fordecorti'cat'ing rajmie arrd like plants, the combination with feed-roll ers, a breaker for breaking the epidermis of the plants,--beaters for removingthe broken epidermis from the fibers and means for'opl era'ting them, a pair of presser plates-towhich E the fibers areconducted,means for reversing; the operationof thebeaters when the'a'bove mentioned feed-roller is raised and means for drawing the stalks through the machine, substantially as set forth;

'5. In a machine for'decorticating ramie and like plants, the combinationwith feed-rollgaged by said clutch-pulley and to drive parts of the machine in" inverse direction, a shaft carrying the clutch-pulley and the gearing which is engaged thereby,- a breaker on said shaft, devices for separating the fibers from the" epidermis of the plan-ts after they have passed the breaker,- means; operated by the above-mentioned gearing for actuating the separating. devices,=a' pair of presser-plates between which the fibers are delivered, and

'mjeansfordrawing the stalks through the ma- 1 chine, substantially as; set for (i. Inf a niachin'efor d'e'corticating ramie and like plants; thecombination with feed-rollers andmechanism for breaking the epidermis of the plants, of means-for removing the broken epidermis fmm the" fibers, a" pair of rubber covered rollers, apair ofpIj 'sser-plates I, I, below the roller, their length being par- I al' lel to the axesof the ollersgmechanis'm for longitudinally reciprocating the plate I, a

crossbar; a screw passing th'eret-h'rou'gh and connected withthe' platelflacu'shion between said crossbar and the screw, means for moving saidcross bar and plate toward said lon-' g'itudi-nal l'y reciprocating plate in adirection at right angles to" the length ofsaid plate, f substantially as set forth;

7 In a machine fordecorti-cating ramieand like plants, the combination with feed-roll- 1 ers, of a table anda-rotary breaker for breaking the epidermis of thepmntsmeans'for re- 5 moving the broken epidermis from the fiber and moving the fiber, a pair of presser rollers a pair of presser-plates below the'presser rollers,-=whi'ch havejtheir lengths parallel with the axes of the roll'e'rs,- means for reciprocat- 3 in g one of the presser plates" longitudinal-1y,- a f cross-bar connected with the other plate, sliding side bars connected with the cross-bar, an additional cross-bar connected with the sliding side-barge pin projecting from said two cross-barsand a pulley having a central grooveinto which said pin passes, substantially as set forth.

ers, of meansf'or raising one of thGfGGd-IOILf In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JEAN ALEXAN-DRE LAoorE. Witnesses:

CLYDE SHRoPsHIRE, JOSEPH OAcERT. 

